March 20
I woke up after only a few hours of sleep to a bunch of unusual motion. I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I asked Cayenne (who was in bed but awake) and she said that they didn't know, either, but we'd stopped in a station and there was a lot of activity going on around the train.
I couldn't really see out the window what was happening, and it probably wasn't anything to worry about anyway, but I got out of bed and went out in the hallway and out the exit door.
They were taking some of the end cars off of our train and moving them on to another one. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I saw Mister Barrow on the platform watching the action, so I went over to him and asked.
He said that the train split in Spokane (which is where we were), and half of it went to Portland, while the rest went to Seattle.
I thought that was pretty clever; rather than have to wake everybody up in the middle of the night and have them change trains, they just moved the railcars to a different train.
So I went back inside and told Cayenne what they were doing. She said that sometimes the trains in Chicago did that, too, but usually not when there were people on them. She stuck her muzzle up to the window and jerked back as a porter carried a big yellow cart by our car, ‘cause it surprised her, and then she went back to looking out the window.
I had a better view out the window by their bed than my own, so I climbed in and watched the humans bustle around the platform, getting both trains ready to go. I could see Mister Barrow out there still, keeping an eye on their progress, and then I heard the faint call of the conductor, and he turned and went back to the train.
A minute or two later, our train pulled out of the station, and we were on our way again.
I didn't think I'd be able to get back to sleep right away, so I went upstairs and walked to the back of the train—which was a lot closer to our car than it had been—and looked out the rear window. I could see the lights of Spokane disappearing behind us, and then we were back in the wilderness again.
As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see all the stars spread above us and I just watched them for a little bit, then went back downstairs and nestled next to Aquamarine and fell back asleep.
The two of us were both up before the sun. Aquamarine said that was because the farther west we went, the later the sun rose and our bodies just hadn't gotten used to it yet.
I left a note for Cayenne and Gusty, and the two of us went right to the Viewliner car like Mister Barrow had said we should. There wasn't a whole lot to see at first because it was still dark, but when the sun started coming up it was spectacular. We were following a river along through the mountains (which are called the Cascades) and the snow-covered pine trees were right up next to the tracks. Aside from the electrical lines that ran alongside the tracks, there wasn't any other sign of human civilization.
All of a sudden we went into a tunnel, and I thought it would be short but it wasn't at all. I was starting to get a bit panicky and so Aquamarine leaned up against me and reminded me that the train wouldn't go anywhere that wasn't safe. I was still pretty happy when we got to the other end of it, though. I hoped we wouldn't go through any more long tunnels.
Mister Barrow joined us not long after the train got out of the tunnel. He said that Miss Parker was still in the shower but would be along before too long and asked us where the two unicorns were.
I said that they were still sleeping, because unicorns like to sleep in.
When they finally showed up, we made some room for them on our seat. There were more and more people coming into the lounge, and we didn't think it would be fair to take up more seats than we had to. After a little bit of arrangement, we wound up with Miss Parker and the two unicorns sharing a set of seats, and Mister Barrow and me and Aquamarine sharing the other. It was a little bit crowded, but not too much, and that left open a pair of seats for anyone else who wanted to watch out the windows.
The train made a big turn, and pretty soon we came along a river and started following it. I knew that train tracks sometimes liked to follow rivers because even in mountains the river itself was a fairly flat course because water found the easiest way to the ocean as it could.
We picked up a little bit of speed when the train got past the mountains and more into flatter land. Miss Parker went and got us some snacks—she said that we could have a proper breakfast in Seattle, and we could keep our seats this way.
The river stayed our companion all the way to Everett, then the train turned south, following along a big body of water. Gusty wanted to know if it was the Pacific Ocean, but Mister Barrow said it was called Puget Sound, and it connected to the Pacific Ocean.
As the train started to slow down and got into the heart of the city, we went back to our room to pack up all our stuff.
Once we were off the train, we took all our baggage to a little parking area where there was a white van waiting for us. Mister Barrow opened up the door where the gas goes and the keys for the van were in there.
We got all our stuff put inside, and he drove us first to a tall white tower called the Space Needle. I didn't like the elevator, and Gusty was a little nervous about how high it was, but it was totally worth it when we got our table. There were big windows that looked out over the side, and the whole dining room slowly turned so that we could see everything around us.
While we waited for our food, Mister Barrow pointed out the sights. There was a distant mountaintop called Mt. Rainier that was very famous, but it was too cloudy to see it. He said we would have been able to see it beyond the skyscratchers if the weather had been clear.
I liked it when the view came around to the harbor. There wasn't any snow or ice at all, and lots of big ships were tied up to docks, and smaller ones were moving around the bay. It reminded me of home, of looking down from clouds at the busy ports, even though the big ships didn't have as much character as the sailing ships back home. There were a few steamships that ran up and down the Equestrian coast, but they never got too far from land because if they carried enough fuel and water to make the trip, they'd hardly be able to carry any cargo.
After lunch we walked up one floor higher to the observation deck. I wanted to fly down, but there was a fence in the way that closed in the whole area so that I couldn't.
Gusty wouldn't even go to the edge; she said it was too high and that she didn't like it at all, so Miss Parker stayed with her inside the closed-in part while the rest of us took in the sights. They were the same as we'd seen from the restaurant, but felt closer to me with the fresh air.
When we were done sightseeing, we went to the Pacific Science Center, which was right next to the Space Needle. There were so many things to see there it was a bit overwhelming, and we started by having everypony pick one thing they wanted most to see.
Cayenne thought we could see more if we split into two groups, but Miss Parker wasn't having that. She said that we ought to stick together like a family.
So we started off visiting the Science Playground, which was a whole lot of fun. Then we went on to the Saltwater Tide pool (that was Aquamarine's idea, but I would have suggested it if she hadn't) where we got to look at little fish and even touch starfish and sea enemies and hermit crabs. A lot of the stuff was pretty familiar to me (although I'd never touched any of them before), but Aquamarine had never been to the ocean before and it was all completely new. She was even confused by how salty the water was.
Then we went to see the Science on a Sphere, and it blew my mind. There was a giant floating globe of the Earth and it had weather patterns and stuff on it, and after the presentation I talked to the attendant a little bit and would have liked to talk to him more, but it would have been rude to keep Gusty waiting from what she wanted to see, which was the butterfly house.
I've never been in a butterfly house before. I thought that it would probably be boring because it was too early in the year for butterflies, but it was a big greenhouse so the butterflies were active all year long. Just the scents alone made me forget it wasn't quite spring yet (although it would be really soon). Gusty danced around like a filly, trying to take it all in, and I thought she might pass out from happiness when a butterfly landed right on her muzzle and she went all cross-eyed looking at it.
If this is what human museums are like, I want to see more of them. Everything was amazing, and the workers were very helpful, and I was sorry that we had to leave.
We had a light meal at the Science Center, and then walked to the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which was just across the street. I wasn't sure what to expect at first: it looked like another big greenhouse, but it turned out to be a greenhouse for glass sculptures that just boggled the mind. Cayenne said that there was a stained-glass museum on Navy Pier in Chicago, but that it was nothing like this.
I can't even describe how alive everything felt. How amazing the colors were, and how they changed as the sun set. There were fake glass flowers dyed the most vivid reds and yellows, and even a stained-glass ceiling.
We had a room for the night at the Alexis Hotel, and our room looked over the bay, which I thought was really nice. I wanted the bed closest to the window, and neither Cayenne nor Gusty cared which they got.
Cayenne wanted to go out to a nightclub, which is a fancy pub. She said that that was one of the best ways to experience a city. Gusty thought that sounded like fun, too, but I didn't particularly want to. I was getting pretty tired because I'd been up all day.
She finally convinced me and Aquamarine, though. We had to wait a little bit for Gusty to change clothes, and I made Cayenne promise not to bring a boy back to the hotel unless she was planning on sharing. She laughed and said that she wouldn't.
Cayenne was the smart one when it came to getting around a big town. She could use her telephone to get an Uber-car, and she had it take us to the nightclub she'd chosen, which was called the White Horse Trading Company.
We went right in and we'd just sat down at a table when a man came out from the back and introduced himself as Joe and said that he was the owner and that there had never been an actual white horse in his pub before, and that our first drink was on him. Then he asked us if we minded posing for a selfie with him, and of course we didn't mind. Cayenne took one with her portable telephone, too, and then we asked him what he recommended.
So we all had a pint of Stingo, which was strong, dark, and very good. Cayenne said that she had been expecting someplace livelier, but when she suggested that maybe we ought to go to a different place, we all told her no. I liked it; it was quiet and there were books all around the walls. Gusty said that every inch of the place oozed character, and that it would be incredibly rude to just walk out after the man who owned the bar had introduced himself.
Well, Cayenne didn't quite agree, but after her third beer she sort of came around and started having fun.
We stayed there pretty late—it felt like the middle of the night to me—and then we took another Uber-car back to the hotel and crawled into bed. As I was drifting off to sleep, I remembered that today had been the first day of spring.
Of course this chapter was posted later than usual. We needed to account for the change in time zone.
The sad part is it is a little early for baseball, if my memory serves me correctly. I would love the group to catch a game, even if people find it boring. I wonder what they will be doing over the summer besides going to school?
Equestrian navy is quite undevelloped compared to earth. Basic steam powered ship, but steam engine not powerfull enough to travel on sea. It would be like late 1700's or early 1800's.
Whoa. Nice.
I think you mean "one thing."
7219492 We are also missing the position of the sun's zenith and in fact, we don't even know if the world is at the center of the sun's rotation, or what kind of trajectory the sun really follow and of course the influence of Equestria's athmosphere on ligth.
7210800
I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that MLP ponies are not necessarily equivalent to real life equines. (I'm sure you know this. It's just a talking point.) This fact gives fanfic authors wiggle room to get really creative with the ponies' biology. They're a more highly evolved kind of creature that could have easily acquired a greater capacity for speech. Given that (in this story) they have a more protein rich diet, it's reasonable to assume they developed a more human like omnivorous palate, is it not?
Aquamarine would be a good character to have point out such differences and similarities, or maybe Cayenne due to her being a "out on the town", mingling with the locals kind of pony.
7219620 I did mention an evolution specialist too, no?
Anyway, fully agreeing with you here.
7219572
All the toll roads are like that. Getting into Jersey is free; getting out will cost ya. That should tell you all you need to know about living in New Jersey.
...well, that and this quote from the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight:
"I got myself outta Beirut once; I think I can get out of New Jersey."
"Yeah? Well, don't be so sure. Others have tried and failed. The entire population, in fact."
7219571
Yes, that's exactly why
Tomorrow's update will be at the normal time.
7219573
It's getting close--not sure when the spring training starts. Lansing has a minor league team and it's fun to watch them play.
That remains to be determined. That's part of the purpose of this trip, to get them a chance to see some of the US and make plans for where they might want to go for the summer.
7219596
They (the Equestrians) haven't really developed the technology, because the haven't had to. Sailing ships can count on good winds on their routes, something we humans couldn't count on.
7219609
7219611
Correction made, thank you!
7219620
Probably Aquamarine; she's the most likely to get up close to lots of horses. MSU's got a bunch of pastures of them, not too far from her dorm.
7219655
Oh, it does. Of all the states I've been to, that's one of the few I don't want to visit again.
Aw. Poor heights-scared unicorn. It's okay ledges worry me too. Even if the irony of Gusty being afraid of windy heights is delightful.
I'm kinda glad to see Silver mostly getting along with the two unicorns too, especially after wondering about that whole thing earlier. Playin' euchre and sharing drinks.
I've noticed a curious thing. "Silver Glow" sounded like a unicorn name to me at first, and "Gusty" sounds like a perfect Pegasus make. Aquamarine is a mineral so I could make an argument for unicorn or Earth there, and Cayenne being a pepper makes me thing agriculture and thus earth pones. Do you have any guidelines, vague or not, for naming conventions or just kinda whatever?
I would want to be a Pegasus. Even if I had to do without the convience of magic... To fly. To fly unhindered and of my own power. To fly would be a great adventure.
7219674
Well Silver Glow is in Michigan so she could catch a Tigers game. They usually are pretty good.
...I actually did a double-take at this.
"It's no surprise to me, I am a sea anemone
And every now and then I spit the livin' squid outta me"
7219699
I always worry when I'm someplace high that I'm going to fall off. I think there's a name for that. And Gusty probably likes wind just fine at ground level.
That's how you get along with friends. I ought to bring a euchre deck and a durach deck to Bronycon.
Generally that they're obscure background ponies. That's pretty much it. I suck at coming up with names, so I find a BG pony that nobody is using. That's kinda my thing.
I agree. I've thought about it, and I'd rather be a pegasus than a unicorn.
I'm suddenly confused: is she writing this in English or Equestrian? Cause if she's familiar with them you'd think think she'd look up the translation for the anemone based on her knowledge of the organism rather than writing it down phonetically.
7219719
According to Wikipedia, it doesn't have a fancy phobia name (or at least not one used officially), but it is distinct from acrophobia. I've got it too. I am totally okay with being on the 80th floor of a skyscraper and looking out the window, but stepstools make me nervous.
7219728
She's writing her journal in English.
Goddamn, Silver, you're a real predator sometimes!
Here in Phoenix Cactus League starts about March 1, regular season April 2. Florida has the Grapefruit League. Both are Spring Training
7219719
If you ever need a pony name, look up the colors of paint sold by Sherwin-Williams. You'll find something that looks like a pony name. (And some of their paint names are already pony names.)
7219683
When it comes to Jersey, you gotta know the off-Turnpike routes. The big tolls are for the people who just want to get across NJ as fast as possible. :)
That and visit Sparta if you bring any earth ponies. The Franklin mine dumps and museum would charm the shoes off a rock farmer any day, twice at night when you turn on the black lights!
7219572
Absolutely! I was listening to Spotify's Jazz for Sleep playlist while I was putting my daughter to bed and reading Silver Glow's Journal. It's just so...nostalgic, and a perfect fit for the feel of reading someone's journal of their day-in-the-life adventures.
Yeah, the Pacific Northwest is big on beer. I remember Rainier beer HQ was right along I-5.
Yeah, the Pacific Science Center's cool, but I'd say the Experience Music Project is cooler.
Is anyone in the group a coffee drinker? Starbucks HQ is right by the train station.
How dare they go to a bar which endorses slavery!
The sea enemy slip is cute, as was the whole butterfly house.
Although how does Aric feel about Silver potentially 'sharing' on her trip away. I can't help but think the two of them should sit down and talk about their relationship and it's limits before one of them, probably Aric, gets hurt.
7219683
It just struck me how inherently silly hunting for and fixing typos in something that's meant to be someone's personal journal is.
Not that you should stop, of course.
7219530 Yeah, that's one thing you can generally point at and laugh at America for, but it's a little different. We do put a lot of shit including artificial garbage in our food just to make it taste better and has little, that's true of the cheap and junk food. It's the lack of discipline to eat healthy is what I've seen.
7220009
Starbucks should be sued for marketing hot goat piss mixed with birch ashes as coffee.
I'm pretty sure they're just a cruel joke Seattle is playing, but the rest of the US hasn't gotten the joke yet. Heading back through the Twin Cities, the girls need to visit the original Dunn Bros. Coffee on Summit Ave. I recommend the Sumatra blend.
Or else the Taste of Scandinavia cafe either on Rice St. or the one on Hwy 96. Their house roast blend with a plate of lefse is a great way to spend any afternoon.
7219743 It's a reasonable theory, but I think it was more to do with greed. I've read before that import taxes on cane sugar was high during the 80's and many things switched over to corn syrup because it was cheaper. I think they're almost on parity now, but they never switched the mass produced formula back to real sugar.
Don't let Silver drinks from those restaurant fountains. They're even worse. I've worked in several fast food places and can tell you what the colas from there are like. There are these huge plastic bags full of syrup that get hooked up to the dispensing machine, looking like something from a medical facility where a cap screws into the bag. They get mixed with a water line coming in, probably the same line that runs to the sinks in the back where we cleaned the dishes. The mixture has a high amount of water because it's cheaper than buying lots of syrup bags. That's the reason why fountain drinks taste so bad most of the time unless they're store bought cola. Just don't let Silver drink that garbage. Better yet, get a water bottle or a bunch of them in a pack and mix it with those ready open flavor packs, similar to Kool-Aid. Those packs do come with caffeine now.
7219620 MLP ponies in particular have very pronounced sclera, like Homo sapiens and dogs. It's a trait associated with cooperative hunting, herding and the like.
7219719 Vertigo maybe? I've a fear of edges more than heights. There's a bit in Game of Thrones in the Sky Cells where some prisoner wrote on the wall "the Blue is calling", that describes the feeling, like exposed edges over drops have a palpable suction or draw.
There's a thought: pegasai BASE (Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth (cliff)) jumpers. That's one of the reasons for the fence up there on the observation deck of the Space Needle, by the way.
Pity there's so much going on back in Michigan during the 4th of July; they'll miss Seafair weekend. Seattle gets crowded during that time, but it's because there's so much going on during that time. The Seafair Cup hydroplane races, the Blue Angels performing, Fleet Week, the half-marathon... that's when things get exciting in Seattle.
*Cuteness overload*
I know others have commented on this and you're aware of it, but...
Okay, is this SG just being her adorable self, and she just not know how to spell/say it correctly or, um... or is it that you didn't know it was sea "anemones?" Not trying to be a jerk; I'm just curious.
7220560
She's being herself. I don't know how to spell it correctly (that's what spellcheck is for), but I know they aren't sea enemies.
While reading through all of this, I can't help but wonder if there isn't an equivalent journal being kept by a human during their year as a transfer student in Equestria.
Idea for the sequel, perhaps?
Part of me is begging Silver Glow not to make trouble with the unicorns because no good will come of it. The other part wants her to snark at them just to see what will happen.
Sea enemies?
It's been a while since I went to an aquarium, but don't they usually have little plaques with the names of species?
I'd like to go to the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. I've been to one of his travelling exhibits and it was spectacular. If SG wants to go to some museums during the year, as a pegasus I think she'd like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (or just the Smithsonian in general) in DC or the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Now, let's imagine a situation where Silver is alone in one of these enclosed spaces. Or better/worse yet, a situation where she gets stuck in one.
Well, I guess we hear more about Silver's bias against Unicorns. But seriously, what are the sleeping patterns for the pony species?
Well, I don't blame Gusty about feeling a little bit nervous. I would too. Though, it would be kind of hilarous if one of her parents was a Pegasus.
I'm still thinking that Silver will eventually get stuck in an elevator.
Remember kids, don't drink ocean water without proper filtration. It's so salty that it taxes the body heavily. Also, do Sea or Merponies exist in this verse?
Daww... Now imagine if someone recorded this and posted it to Youtube. Instant viral video - "Unicorn Happily Dancing!".
Overall, pretty interesting chapter. A lot of museum exploration and cute moments.
Sounds like someone's claustrophobic. Or it is just a pegasus thing.
I know how she must feel. I'm afraid of heights too.
It's kind of true, though.
7219573 I recall the last time I went to a baseball game. I spent the whole time reading a book.
After spending a week genociding fractious elements of my space empire's populations and crushing the galaxy under my ceramic armoured tentacle in Stellaris, catching up with Silver Glow is a welcome respite.
I think I nabbed all of the background ponies you used in your stories in my custom namelist. You wouldn't happen to have a list of all the characters you've used, would you, AB?
Man, I read the Puget Sound and I'm like "I know that Landmark!"
Sitting up here in Vancouver, remembering that us Canadians don't get Ponys. :P
7222896 There is probably pony in every occidental nation, maybe a few not-occidental nation too. Admiral Biscuit is just focusing on the ones in Michigan because he went to college at Kalamazoo.
7222652
Nope, no list. Sweet Jebus, that would be a long, long list.
If you've got one online (gDocs or whatever) you can send it to me and I can probably add in some that you missed. Did you get Denim Blue?
Yup.
That sounds about right.
Now I want to go on a cross-country train trip. But Bronycon... Hmmmm...
"Ladies- Mares. Wow! I, um... Yeah. A menage a cinq with four ponies- Mares? Never thought I'd ever... But hey, as flattered as I am that you all want me, so you think that just maybe I could bring a friend. Maybe two. I don't want to leave any of you hanging, y'know?"
7220620 I'm loving the little misunderstandings.
Sea enemies, scyscratchers, ...
7222327 Try being at the top of the Sears tower...was not fun for me near the glass. (but one HELL of a view )
7219708
At Comerica Stadium, no less. Next month I'm going to see a game there (Tigers vs Indians), so that'll make good story material.
7219748
Sharing is the friendly thing to do.
7219770
I think the Tigers started about April 3 or thereabouts.
7219787
I've got a couple of their paint books, in fact. And I have a few stories with BG ponies who are paint names.
7219826
There's an old gypsum mine in Grand Rapids (I think) that is now used as a cold storage warehouse, since it's naturally already kinda cold. A mine would be an interesting trip for a pony. It might bring back ancient memories.
7219988
Cool, thanks!